EDP Renewables announced the successful connection to the grid of Spain’s first wind-solar hybrid project. This hybrid combines wind and solar energy at the same connection point. With this milestone, EDPR continues its pioneering way of thinking about maximizing the production of renewable energy, also being the first company to implement hybrid projects in Portugal and Poland.
Located in Santa María del Cubillo (Ávila), northwest of Madrid, the “Cruz de Hierro” wind farm has 22 wind turbines with an installed power of 14.5 MW and has been operational since 2000. Currently, thanks to the installation of over 25,000 bifacial photovoltaic panels at the site, the complex significantly increases the production of renewable energy, reaching a total installed power of 28.75 MW. Together, both projects will produce over 58 GWh of electricity per year, enough to supply more than 17,000 nearby houses each year.
EDPR was the first company in Spain to receive permission to connect this farm — issued by IDAE (Spanish abbreviation for the Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving).
By adding solar technology to the operating wind farm, EDPR accelerates the energy transformation of the region, while preventing the emission of over 24,000 tons of CO2 each year, equivalent to CO2 absorption by over 40,000 mature trees.
Connecting the first Spanish hybrid farm to the grid is a breakthrough in the country’s clean energy sector. Maximizing renewable energy production at the same point allows faster achievement of energy transformation goals. In addition, it promotes the complementarity of energy sources — when one source is inactive due to limited natural resources, the other can guarantee the continuity of energy supply and ensure its stable delivery to the grid, which is one of the main problems of this sector.
“The launch of the first hybrid project in Spain strengthens our ambitions of efficient and sustainable development of innovative clean energy projects in a key market for EDPR. After implementing similar projects in Portugal and Poland, we are pleased to bring distinctive solutions to the Spanish energy transformation,” says Miguel Stilwell d’Andrade, CEO of EDP Renewables.
With this project, EDP Renewables becomes the first company to launch projects with hybrid technologies in Spain, Portugal, and Poland. EDPR expects to launch two other hybrid farms in Spain in the coming months and has more than 15 wind-solar hybridisation projects that should add over 230 MW of power from renewable sources in Spain in the coming years.
By 2026, the company plans to invest 20 billion euros in the development and implementation of renewable energy sources worldwide, of which 40% is allocated to onshore wind power, and another 40% to large-scale solar power. Spain remains a strategic country for EDP, where installed capacity stands at almost 2 GW of solar and wind energy, as well as 444 MW in hydro energy, where green hydrogen related projects are being developed.
